Transformation
by dangra
Summary: Danny gasped in horror, but only a small grumble escaped his lips. He was no longer human but...well, he didn’t know what he was! "OH MY GOD! I’M A MONSTER!" he yelled aloud...but it sounded more like a loud and terrifying roar. -DxS
1. Chapter 1

(Hey all, this is just the first chapter to see how it goes- if it goes well, I will update more chapters, if not…well, then I won't! This story is kinda based off **Beauty and the Beast **…except with ghosts…and a more evil underpinning…well, I'll not waste anymore time- enjoy!)

……………………………………-

"**AARGH**!"

Danny fell to the ground in exhaustion and pain, just about able to stay in ghost form. Wisps of ecto-smoke were rising from his torched jumpsuit. Through tears in his outfit, bruises and deep cuts could be seen leaking green blood and his left wrist was broken- Danny Phantom, Amity Park Superhero, was in a bad state. He pushed himself up into a sitting position with his right hand while cradling the other close into himself, wincing in pain.

The ghosts he had been fighting floated down to him and landed on the ground, growling threateningly at him. They were different shapes and sizes and all resembled different species of carnivorous animals. They called themselves **Claochladáin**:Irish for transformers, but Danny being clueless didn't know that! Three of them stepped forward towards Danny with angry expressions on their faces. One was a large, male lion with a thick, black mane and four long dragon horns protruding through its fur- two from the top of his head and two from the sides. His arms had a spiked tattoo at the wrists and the colour around his eyes shared the same pattern. The tip of his muzzle had tufts of hair, giving the impression he had a beard. On his left was a slightly smaller, well-built tiger. The striped patterns on his back formed strange symbols and his right ear was pierced. To his right was a crocodile about the same height as the tiger and just as well built. Large spikes protruded from his back and shoulders and two small horns rested on his head. They looked very ferocious.

"The 'Great Danny Phantom'," spoke the lion.

His voice was gentle and deep, almost like a sigh, and commanded the attention of everyone around him. The tiger grumbled with his sharp teeth bared towards Danny.

"Somehow I thought you would have fought better than this, but I guess not!" he commented sadly while examining his claws.

Danny quickly shot towards the lion in an attempt to catch him off his guard, but the tiger beside him roared and jumped on Danny, pinning him to the ground with his claws. Despite the sudden action, the lion did not flinch once.

"Ah ah, Daniel! You don't want to lose that other hand now do you?" questioned the lion.

The tiger twisted Danny's right hand causing him to scream in pain.

"That's enough, Tíogar," ordered the Lion.

The tiger looked back at him solemnly and nodded. He obediently got off Danny and walked back to the group, standing behind the lion to his left and bowing his head slightly to him. Danny sat up once more and glared at him.

"Who are you?!" Danny demanded.

"I am Leon, the leader of this established…community! This is Tíogar and Crogall, my two very loyal friends."

He motioned towards the tiger and crocodile in turn who both nodded in respect at their opponent (Danny!). Leon's careful choice of words did not go unnoticed by Danny though- opting for 'community' as opposed to 'cult'.

"Slaves more like!" he muttered in disgust.

"Oh, they do as they're told," reassured Leon, "but out of their own free will, of course."

"Why are you here? What do you want?!" yelled Danny in frustration.

"We are simply here to give rogue ghosts the opportunity to join our community," answered Leon as he began to circle Danny, "I hate to see lone ghosts **hating** their **after-life**, don't you Daniel?"

"As long as they don't cause me **or** my town any trouble then yes, I do pity them."

Leon stopped before him and leant towards him.

"Would **you** like to join our cause Danny Phantom?"

"Why would I want to join a cult of ugly, bloodthirsty **beasts**?"

All of the ghosts, except Leon, growled and roared in anger at Danny's last statement. Leon narrowed his eyes at him and straightened himself as Tíogar and Crogall grabbed Danny's two arms, pulling him to his feet.

"We are not bloodthirsty beasts," said Leon calmly, "If you remember, Mr Phantom, it was **you** who first attacked **us**!"

All of the ghosts sniggered and nodded in agreement. Danny had in fact thrown the first ectoblast, mistaking them for a group of troublesome ghosts, out for a good time scaring the town's folk.

"Of every ghost present here Phantom, you seem most fit to be called the beast!"

All of the ghosts laughed and the grip on Danny's arms tightened.

"You're not even a full ghost! You're an inbreed; a **halfa**!" mocked Leon as the others agreed.

"It's better than being what **you** are!" spat Danny.

Leon grabbed Danny tightly by the throat, his claws scratching his skin.

"And what am I **Phantom**?! A ghost? An animal? A **beast,** as you call it?!"

He released his grip of Danny and allowed him to gasp for air while still being held by Tíogar and Crogall.

"We are transformers, Daniel! We can alter our appearance! Sure, we could look human if we wanted, but what's the point in that? We've lived our lives as humans and now, we take the form of what we imagine our true selves to look like."

Many of the ghosts looked on and nodded in belief and understanding in the 'truth' and 'wisdom' he was speaking of.

"Look at you Daniel…you're strong, willing, and intelligent (**HA**!)…but **weakened** by your flesh self- your **human** self…"

Leon leant towards Danny so he was looking him in the eye.

"This isn't what you imagine your all-powerful self would look like, is it?" he asked quietly.

Danny mentally shivered as an image of Dan Phantom popped into his head. He did his best to hide his fear from Leon.

"Get. **Back**. To. The. Ghost. Zone!" Danny growled through clenched teeth.

Leon stared at him for a moment before smirking with satisfaction.

"Oh, we're going Daniel…but first, a **gift** to you for your lack of understanding of our mission and your **ignorance** of our title and culture!"

Leon conjured a glowing, purple orb of swirling light and energy in his paws. Danny's eyes widened in horror as he threw it at him. He couldn't run to dodge it, as Tíogar and Crogall held him firmly were he was. He screamed in pain as it hit him square in his chest, causing him to glow bright purple and his energy to be fully drained. The two ghosts released him, causing him to fall to the ground and transform into his human form. Leon smiled again and flew away with the other ghosts.

Danny gasped in exhaustion and pain as he managed to heave himself to his knees, relying totally on his arms for support. The throbbing in his left hand was so painful, it was on the verge of knocking him out cold, but he forced himself to ignore it.

Suddenly a strange twinge travelled through his chest. He hunched over in an attempt to ease the pain. It didn't help. When the pain subsided he gasped for air, until it returned with excruciating pain. Danny cried out in agony and rolled onto his back, clutching his chest tightly. The pain was unbearable, and somehow it's intensity continued to increase. Danny lay there helplessly; screaming with his eyes tightly shut and calling for help, but no one came.

A purple substance, similar to the colour of the blast that hit him, began to run out through his chest, between his fingers, travelling into his mouth, his eyes and covered his entire body. His eye's shot open as the purple matter disappeared and the pain suddenly subsided as if it were never experienced. Danny lay on the ground, confused and relieved that it was over. He sat up and looked around him. He was still in the street were he fought the Claochladáin and nothing around him seemed to have changed. Slowly he pushed himself off the ground and headed towards a wall of a building for support. He collapsed against the wall and breathed deeply. His voice was low and hoarse.

'_All of the screaming probably damaged my throat…_' he thought to himself.

He began to make his way to his house, gripping the wall a few times to prevent himself falling over. Halfway there he stopped to catch his breath. He never knew how far away his house was until now. Preparing himself to continue the journey, he glanced in one of the house windows. The family was sitting by a fire, talking amongst themselves and laughing about something. Danny smiled at the loving sight and hoped it would be like that at his own house.

The mother in the house looked up to the window that Danny was looking through and stopped laughing. Her face paled and dropped completely. She screamed at what she saw. The father looked at Danny and, after seeing him, ushered the children, panic-stricken, out of the room and up the stairs. They were all screaming in alarm and fear. Of course, Danny was perplexed at their reaction to him just glimpsing in the window, but then he saw his reflection…


	2. Chapter 2

(Things underlined are what Danny say's out loud that actually sounds like a roar to other people!)

Danny gasped in horror, but only a small grumble escaped his lips. He was no longer human but…well, he didn't know what he was! He was a mixture of many animals all in one- he was part liger, part wolf, and part dragon. His eyes remained their sky blue colour but with the hint of yellow surrounding the pupil. He had the mane of a lion; black and messy like his original hairstyle, only bigger, and he had the stripes of a tiger. His tail and lower torso was that of a wolf, but the stripes continued to cover his legs and tail. He also had spikes on some areas of his shoulders and his back and he had sprouted two large horns on his head. In all, he was very tall and extremely well built creature, but Danny was in a state of shock and terror at his appearance.

'**OH MY GOD! I'M A MONSTER****!**' he yelled aloud to himself gripping his head with his paws, but it sounded more like a loud and terrifying roar.

Lights in many houses switched on and people began to look out of their windows at him. They all had horrified expressions and some ran to their phones to call the police. Danny's eyes widened in panic as he took off down the street. He noticed he was automatically running on all fours, which was not an easy task if you're a beginner and your left hand was broken.

'_I have to get out of here,' _he thought to himself, _'I don't want anyone in Amity getting the wrong impression!'_

Suddenly, his left hand gave in under the pressure and, roaring in pain, he crashed through someone's fence and into their back garden. Danny lay on the grass with his head to the ground and his arms covering his face, groaning in annoyance and agony. His left ear twitched as he heard a small gasp of fright coming from someone close by. He tiredly raised his head to see Sam Manson, very uncharacteristically, running towards him with a thick, heavy branch in both hands. He screamed in surprise, or to Sam's ears roared, when she whacked him over the head with the oversized branch. Clutching his head he attempted to run for cover, but again buckled under the pressure on his left hand again and fell heavily to the ground. Danny let out another small groan.

"Ow…!" he grumbled into the grass.

"Stay back!" ordered Sam with the branch still raised.

Danny attempted to raise himself up with shaky hands, which caused Sam to raise the branch threateningly higher.

"STAY **DOWN**!" she shouted, "I'M **WARNING** YOU!"

Danny fell to the ground in defeat and obedience, breathing heavily from his efforts to stay on his feet. Sam noticed the condition this…**thing** was in and decided it would be safe to move closer to it. However Danny misunderstood why she was approaching him after being beaten over the head! When she was but metres from him, let out a small whimper, attempted to cover his head in defence and drew in his legs close to his stomach. Sam blinked in guilt at his reaction and timidly approached him, regretting her violent actions.

"Don't worry," she soothed quietly, "I promise I won't hurt you if you won't hurt me…"

Danny moved his paws from his face and looked at her.

"D-Do you understand me?" asked Sam as she drew closer to him.

Danny nodded his head and pushed himself, **slowly,** up into sitting position so as not to scare Sam by sudden movements.

"Where did you come from?" she questioned quietly.

"Down the street. I was fighting these ghosts and… I think they did something to me Sam…" growled Danny softly as he pointed down the street.

Sam followed his finger and understood that he had come from down the road.

"Do you know how to get back from where you came from?" questioned Sam kindly.

"What? Sam can't you understand me? It's me, Danny!"

"Hmm, I wish I knew how you got out of the ghost zone," commented Sam more to herself than Danny, "Then I could help you more…"

She gazed at Danny sadly, but smiled reassuringly at him.

"Sam, please! These ghosts turned me into this…this…**thing** and I have to find them in order to switch back!"

Sam watched Danny in fascination with a faint smile. He could see confusion in her eyes and realised it was pointless trying to communicate with her. He let out a deep sigh and lay against the half broken fence, staring sadly at the ground.

"You have a beautiful coat…"

Danny looked up to see Sam admiring his fur dreamily. He grumbled in gratitude and looked off towards the horizon.

'_Maybe Tucker will understand what I'm saying if he uses some sort of translator…maybe he could help me…_"

Danny was snapped out of his thoughts by a soft, gentle touch. He looked back at Sam to find she was sitting beside him and stroking his left arm. It made him relax; his tense muscles becoming limp under her touch. It was like he was powerless against her slightest moves. He sighed at the thought of the control Sam had over him, even in his new form. He continued to watch her as she traced the stripes on his arms with her fingers, travelling from his shoulder down to his wrist.

"**AAHH!**"

Danny growled in pain and pulled his arm away from her, immediately grieving the loss of her comforting touch. Sam looked at him in surprise.

"Are you hurt?" she asked in concern.

Danny looked at her before slowly nodding his head.

"Well let me see, I can help…I won't hurt you; I do this all the time for a friend of mine…"

Danny smiled at her reference to him and showed her his hand.

"**God**, your wrist is broken!" she exclaimed in sorrow.

Danny winced at the touch of her fingers, despite how careful she was being not to hurt him.

"All I can do is put a bandage on it and hope for the best…unless you want me to take you to a vet…?"

Danny's eyes widened in fright as he frantically shook his head. If he was brought to a vet, they might call the police and then he would be captured and experimented on by the Men in White, or worse…his parents! Danny placed his right paw on Sam's hand, pleading silently to her to keep him with her and not turn him in. Sam looked down at his paw then nodded in understanding.

"Heh…all animals hate the vet, eh?…no matter what type of animal you are…"

Sam gazed up at the poor creature beside her and she was overcome with pity. She **would** **have** gone and get the bandage for him, but his paw still remained on her hand. Suddenly he raised it slowly up to her face. She leant back in slight apprehension of what he might do, and he stopped raising his hand when she did. He let out a low grumble, as if pleading with her and reassuring her it was ok; he wasn't going to hurt her. His eyes were sad, worried…confused, and were somehow familiar to Sam. He placed his paw gently onto Sam's face and stroked it with his thumb. Sam sighed and lent her head against his warm paw. He lowered his head close to hers so she could feel his breath against her skin and closed his eyes. She shivered involuntarily under his warm breath.

"Sam…please don't leave me…I'm scared of what might happen to me… what might happen to you if I go…" he grumbled softly.

Unbeknown to Danny, the warmth of his touch was also strangely familiar to Sam, and she sighed quietly as she acknowledged who would ever be as gentle with her as the creature was now…

"Danny…"

The tender sigh of his name caused his eyes to open and look at her in surprise and confusion. Sam's eyes were also closed but opened when she could no longer feel his warm breath heating her. She looked up at him as he stared at her in awe and confusion. She smiled at him again.

"Danny…"

Danny blinked at her in confusion again, leaning away from her.

'_How did she…?_'

"Danny's the friend I would help ghost hunting…if he got hurt, I would fix him up…"

Danny's hopes dropped as he realised she still didn't recognised him, his drooped ears portraying this.

"I hate seeing him get hurt…" she sighed sadly.

Danny grumbled urgently to try and make her repeat his name. Sam furrowed her eyebrows, but seemed to understand.

"Danny…you know him?"

Danny nodded his head vigorously.

"Really? How do you know him? Maybe he could help you back to your home. Or maybe he could get Wulf to help you!"

Danny began to press his hand several times against his chest, growling earnestly.

"Yes, I know **you** know him, but **how**?" asked Sam patiently.

Danny shook his head and gently grabbed her hand and placed it on his heart, looking deep into her eyes. Slowly Sam began to understand what he was implying, her face slowly falling as realisation finally sunk in. She immediately knelt up towards him, eyes wide in shock horror.

"**Danny?!**"

(Here's a link to a sketch of Danny in his new form, just type without the spaces!  
http : / / dandorcha . deviantart . com / art / Lionized - Danny - 67395860  
And thank you to everyone who reviewed!)


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh my **God**, **Danny**!"

Sam cupped his face with her hands and looked at him desperately in alarm, her breath coming in short quick gasps. For a minute Danny though she may have a panic attack from the shock, but she was able to calm herself by taking in deep breathes for a couple of seconds.

"How did you **get** like this?" she cried in concern, her voice noticeably cracking while she was on the verge of tears.

Danny shook his head gently and pulled Sam closer to him with his large furry arms. His eyes clouded over, tears coming to his own eyes at the image of his friend about to cry- a friend who **never** in her life had been seen or known to cry about **anything**, but he tried to be strong for Sam's sake. She wrapped her arms as far around his neck as she could and hugged him tightly. He could feel her warm, wet tears landing on his shoulders, the fur catching them and making his coat glisten in the dim light. He choked back a sob, choosing instead to stroke her hair with his large paw and grumble softly,

"Don't worry Sam, it can be fixed…I think…I just need to find Leon…"

"My God we leave you for one night and you get into this mess!" she choked through tears, attempting to lighten the mood, which Danny acknowledged with a smile and strangled chuckle.

Suddenly, sirens began to howler from down the road, indicating the police had arrived to inspect the area. Sam gasped and pulled away from Danny to peek out through her broken fence. She discovered they were only a few doors down from them and she gathered that seeing a destroyed fence might draw their attention up to her garden. Sam turned to Danny in panic and worry.

"Danny, the cops are down the street! You have to hide!"

Danny nodded and jumped to his feet. Stumbling a bit on his hind legs, he dove behind a large clump of bushes, causing stray leaves to flutter into the air, and he lay there, afraid to breath. Danny strained his ears, his forehead furrowing in concentration, until he could hear the sound of footsteps approaching. He gulped and prayed Sam would be able to handle it alone.

Sam watched as a tall, lanky police officer approached her while taking in the scene before him- a wooden fence, complete with a large jagged hole and broken panels scattering the garden. He raised his eyebrows in shock, making a low awestruck whistle as he turned to Sam.

"Did a large animal run through here ma'am?" asked a police officer pointing at her fence.

"Uh…Yeah…I-I was sitting in my garden when he crashed through here. He saw me and took off in the other direction."

Sam pointed down the street towards the park. The policeman followed her finger, his eyes alighting with suspicion before turning back to her. His stare made Sam uneasy, and she shifted her weight slightly from one foot to the other, waiting for his final judgement.

"You're saying it ran into the park?" he asked in confusion.

Sam merely smiled nervously and nodded her head, "Yeah…lot of foliage to hide behind, I guess…"

The police officer blinked once at her. '_She may be right,'_ he thought to himself, '_even though she's kinda shaken…'_

"Thank you for your cooperation ma'am, and try to have a good night…oh, and uh, it'd be best if you, you know…stayed indoors…"

Sam nodded briefly and the policeman walked off back to his car, still staring at the fence with a scrutinizing expression, while one proceeded to call for back up through the radio. When they left, Sam turned back to the overgrown hedge Danny hid behind. She could faintly see an orange tinge to the bush, and hoped that she was the only one to have noticed that detail.

"The coast's clear Danny, you can come out now."

Danny slowly emerged from behind the bush, causing many of what Sam had first though to be twigs to move from their place. It turned out, the stripes on Danny's back came in useful in urban life after all, since the bush turned out to be barer than it had first appeared. He slowly walked up to Sam, balancing on three legs, while looking around him just to be sure no one saw him.

"We'll have to get a bandage for your hand…" she spoke quietly, "Wait here, I'll be two seconds!"

She took off into her house without waiting for his reply, not that she'd understand it anyway, and headed for her room. She knew where her first aid kit was kept- first drawer to the right in the wardrobe nearest the window. She was always armed and ready for Danny's return from fights, but this time, it seemed Danny had gotten himself into something way out of his league.

'_**No**__,'_ Sam mind scolded her_, 'he's been in worse and he's come out ok- you should have more faith in him. After all, it can be fixed…can't it?'_

Blinking back newly forming tears at the thought of Danny's permanent appearance, she grabbed the first aid kit and her mobile phone before charging back down the stairs and out into the garden. Danny looked up from the yellow flower he had been twirling between his furry fingers to find Sam had returned and was walking up to him, smiling reassuringly at him while patting the box. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a gunshot narrowly missed Danny's head and caused them both to jump backwards. The police had returned to question the neighbours when they spotted Danny in Sam's back yard. The same young cop was standing at the front door of a neighbours house, gun raised in both hands while the other stood with a loudspeaker in one and a gun raised in the other.

"STEP **AWAY** FROM THE GIRL!" the eldest shouted through a loudspeaker.

Danny turned to Sam in fear, alarm, but mostly guilt. Now he was in for it, and he had gotten Sam into trouble too. She had lied for him, and he was sure that she wouldn't be able to escape punishment this time. Sam shared the same expression as she desperately tried to come up with a plan of escape. They had little time to react or to think, but both were thinking the same thing- Must Get **Out Of Here**! In that split second of spontaneous urgency, the decision was made and Sam ran towards Danny, with the first aid box in hand. Knowing what she was planning, and knowing it was too late to stop her, Danny crouched forward, bending his knee to give her a leg up, before she jumped on his back.

"GET OUT OF HERE, **NOW**!" she shouted to him.

He nodded his head and, before the police could comprehend what had just happened, he jumped over the other side of Sam's fence, clipping the top with his sharp claws and causing splinters of wood to follow in their wake. Sam suppressed a gasp of shock as they landed with a thud in the neighbours' garden and ran for it. She gripped one of the spikes on his back and held on for dear life, closing her eyes in an attempt to calm herself and prevent motion sickness getting the better of her! Danny, meanwhile, concentrated on running on his hind legs and using his tail for balance. The muscles in his legs pushed him forward and gave him the ability to jump greater heights than any normal human. (But nothing too absurd like in the movie The Hulk! Urgh…anyway-) He jumped over walls and fences until he was on open road. Knowing where he had to go, he sprinted towards the hills in the distance- he knew they would be safe there. As Sam had said- more trees equals more protection. His paws pounded on the cement below him, but his sensitive ears allowed him to hear past that to how far away the police cars were, based on the sirens. He couldn't hear anything- he must have lost them. He quickened his pace, just to be sure, and headed for the hills.

Danny pushed branches and twigs out of his way as he attempted to get through the dense wood that circled the hilltop. He panted in exhaustion as he forced himself to keep going. His legs ached and he was developing a cramp in his stomach. _'Just a bit further,'_ he told himself, _'Just a little more.'_ Luckily, they reached a clearing, complete with a lake, that was hidden from view to the people and, more importantly, the authorities of Amity. Sighing in relief, he walked over to a nearby tree and crouched down to let Sam off his back. She awkwardly slid off and stumbled round to face him as he rested against the tree, panting heavily. She had managed to keep a hold of the first aid kit during the journey, which she now held in a death grip, afraid to let go. As she appeared before him, he looked at her pale, strained hands before finding her face. She was shaking from shock.

He grumbled softly, pulling her closer to his in a warm, furry embrace. He pulled away slightly, watching as her grip on the first aid box loosened, and her knuckled became their regular colour. She grinned shakily and began to inspect his broken wrist. He had acquired some extra scratches on his arms and face on his hike through the woods, and so had Sam. Her bare arms and delicate face was lined with scratches, some leaking a small amount of blood. Danny raised his right hand and stroked her cheek with the back of his 'index finger'. Sam looked up at him and smiled despite her sad eyes.

"Your hurt…"

Sam only heard a sympathetic moan escape his mouth, but she smiled in understanding and patted his arm.

"I'll be ok, don't worry about me…" she soothed as she went back to his hand.

"But I do worry about you Sam…"

She didn't acknowledge that she understood him so he sighed in defeat.

"Danny…your hand's gotten worse…"

He looked down at said wrist to see a small piece of bone was poking through his skin. He hissed at the sight and looked in the other direction.

"I'll do what I can on it, but I really think we should take you to see a doctor…"

Danny looked at her with an odd expression.

"…Vet…"

He grunted a laugh and looked back across the horizon. Sam rubbed his wrist gently with her hands, contemplating what to do. Well, she knew what to do, but she feared what such an action would bring…

"Danny…" she spoke softly, causing Danny to face her again, but she avoided his eyes, "I-I'm gonna have to push the bone back under your skin…" She finally met his eyes, and they were pained to say the least, "I-It's going to hurt…"

Her voice broke at the end of her confession as she watched for Danny's reaction. He knew she was right, and he didn't want to think about it too much, so he quickly nodded his head and looked back at the horizon. Sam rubbed some alcohol onto his wrist, which caused him to cringe in pain. She paused, and then began to push the bone back into place. She could hear Danny's sharp intakes of breath and whimpers of pain as he tried not to roar out loud, and it hurt her to know he was trying to be brave. She could never do it, as courageous as she tried to make herself out to be, she knew she would have to kick, or scream, or bite something to distract herself.

Holding the bone in place she quickly began to wrap a bandage tightly around his wrist in an attempt to force the piece of bone to stay under his fur and cleaned up the mess she had made. Danny had managed to keep a brave face as she worked the bandage on him, despite the throbbing pain. When she had finished, the cloud of tension lifted as she took a seat against the tree beside Danny and sighed unsteadily with relief. The sun was setting and turned the sky an orange-yellow colour with cream clouds floating by. There was a lake a couple of meters away that glistened in the light and seemed to turn a golden colour as it reflected the sky. It was so peaceful here.

"It's beautiful…" Sam breathed, gazing at the clouds as they swirled around the sun and danced in the sky.

Danny turned and smiled at her, "Not as beautiful as you…"

It was the most romantic and honest thing Danny had ever said to Sam without his clumsy nervousness getting the better of him; the only problem was she had no way of understanding him. She looked up at Danny to see he was staring at her with half closed eyes. She smiled at his relaxed face and pointed at the sky.

"The sunset…it's beautiful isn't it?"

Danny shook his head and pointed at her. For a moment Sam was extremely confused by his action, but slowly realized what he had implied. She blushed madly and looked away. Danny turned his attention sadly back to the sky, hoping he hadn't made her too uncomfortable.

_'What just happened? Where did all that courage suddenly come from?! Must be some sort of animal instinct or something…I hope I didn't upset her…'_

He was snapped out of his train of thought by the pressure of a light weight on his shoulder. He looked down to see Sam resting her head against his shoulder and her arm wrapped around his, carefully avoiding the area near his bandage. Her eyes were closed and he could feel her soft breath warming his arm. He smiled to himself and closed his own eyes before allowing exhaustion to take him and drifted off to sleep.

(Thanks to all who reviewed- keep 'em coming please!)


	4. Chapter 4

Danny awoke from a fairly pleasant dream of being hugged by Sam to become faintly aware of the sound of birds chirping in the trees as opposed to his alarm clock ringing beside him. He slowly opened his eyes to see the face of a dozing Sam lying curled up beside him, leaning against his chest. He stared at her for a while before he remembered he was outside in a forest and in hiding from civilization. He forced himself to look away from his sleeping beauty and check the surrounding area was ok- checking every shadow for signs of life. Everything remained the same as it was yesterday- peaceful and untouched. The sky was a bright blue and the sun had just risen on the right hand side of the sky. Although he didn't have a watch, he guessed it was around 6 o'clock in the morning.

He eased himself away from Sam so as not to wake her, carefully removing the paw draped over her waist, and got to his feet. He tested his left wrist by applying a little weight to his hand. It was numb, which he only hoped was a good thing compared to the pain he had felt last night! He walked over to the lake and took a seat at the edge, curling his tail around himself, and cupped his paws in the clear water. It sparkled in the early morning sun and a few small droplets clung to his furry hand. He raised his paws to his mouth and attempted to drink from it, but most of the water had seeped through his fingers and the remainder poured down the sides of his mouth. He groaned in frustration and, getting to his feet to bend over the lake, resorted to licking up the water with his tongue. It took a while for him to get a satisfying drink, but he didn't think it was too bad- it was even fun. His tongue curled as he lapped up the water, forming a small hollow that would fill with water each time he placed it in the lake. He smirked as images of his childhood obsessions with dogs came to mind, remembering how he had spent an entire week eating and drinking like a dog.

'_Those were the days_,' he mused to himself.

He was startled out of his thoughts as he felt a hand run up from his lower back to his shoulders. He quickly realized it was Sam, and so he tilted his head towards her and grinned widely, showing his teeth. Sam laughed slightly at the sight of his dripping wet face; water running from his nose down the sides of his mouth and dripping from the fur on his chin. He licked the outside of his mouth as she ruffled his hair playfully, not that it made much of a difference since his hair was always messy. He returned the gesture by nuzzling her head with his, tickling her skin his furry face while, thanks to his animal impulse, he instinctively purred softly. Sam beamed at him in surprise.

"**AAAWWW!**"

Sam gently hugged his head and laughed at the fact that he was purring at her.

"Hey, you know what I just realized?" asked Sam as she pulled away.

Danny shrugged and shook his head.

"I've been out all night with a guy my parents **hate**; the same guy that the police are now after for being a dangerous animal! And I haven't told anyone yet, not even Tucker! I'm sure he's sent out a search party for me too…"

Danny chuckled lightly under his breath.

"I think we should call Tucker anyway and tell him to come up here to, you know, fill him in; don't you? He might have a panic attack and think we've run off together somewhere! -**Cue Sam's blush**- Hey, he might be able find something to help us understand your language better!"

Danny nodded his head in agreement, noting how cute she had look with her tinted cheeks, and watched as Sam pulled her cell phone out of her pocket- lucky it hadn't fallen out during their marathon run yesterday. She press 2 on her speed dial list and Tuckers number was called (Guess who's speed dial number 1!). It rang twice before someone picked it up, breathing unevenly.

"H-Hello?" came the strangled voice.

"Hey Tucker, it's Sam-"

That woke Tucker up!

"OH MY GOD! WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU HURT? ARE YOU WITH THE BEAST? WHAT **IS** IT?!" Tucker cried in panic with one breath.

"Tucker, **relax**! In order; I'm in a clearing in the forest on the hill, no I'm not hurt, yes I'm with the beast-"

Danny groaned in disgust with his appearance and the fact Sam saw him as a beast; placing his face in his right paw and looking away from her.

"Sorry Danny-"

"**DANNY**! Is he with you? Is he fighting the beast?" Tucker badgered with the same amount of urgency.

"Tucker, Danny **is** the beast!" she hissed back.

Danny visibly cringed at the tone she used when she said this and blinked at her sadly. Realizing her mistake Sam shot him an apologetic look.

"Uh…creature!"

"-**Gasp**- DANNY'S THE **BEAST**?!"

"**Tucker**! Keep your** voice down**! And **please** don't call him that…"

"Ok, ok! But stay where you are, I'm coming to meet you," he informed, for once deadly serious.

"Ok, but don't tell anyone where we are or where your going."

Although she couldn't see, he gave the phone a bored look, "**Please** Sam, I'm not **that** stupid."

"Well, you are actually!" she teased automatically.

"That was a **rhetorical** statement! I'll see ya in a few."

"See ya."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"**Tucker**-" she growled.

Tucker hung up before he could get any abuse from what he said. Danny looked at her questionably, hurt still evident in his eyes despite his attempts to hide it, causing Sam to loose her train of thought for a moment before she shrugged, fiddling with the mobile in guilt.

"You know Tucker…anyway, he's coming up here to meet us."

Danny nodded and looked down at his reflection in the water. Auburn fur scarred with dark lines stared out at him while his horns jutted out from his black mane, almost stabbing the sky. The only think that reminded him of his old self, was his baby blue eyes, weary from pain and sadness. It did little to comfort him. He sighed quietly, the gesture emerging as a low grumble.

'Who am I kidding…I am a beast…'

Sam took a seat on the grass beside him and followed his gaze to his reflection. Sighing, she tossed the forgotten phone on the grass beside her and turned to Danny.

"Danny…you're not a beast …you're just…going through some…**changes**…" she spoke softly.

Danny closed his eyes and lowered his head miserably. _'What wonderful changes'_ he thought to himself, _'I'm sure everyone experiences it during puberty!' _Sam continued unaware of his internal ridicule.

"People just…see what they want to see…they don't see the real beauty of what you've become…"

Danny turned his head to face her slightly as she continued.

"I mean…your part **liger**- you have the stunning patterns of a tiger **and** the majestic mane of a lion. Your also part wolf and have a gorgeously long tail-"

Danny snorted a laugh and shook his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"You do! Your tail is gorgeous! –**She stroked his tail playfully**- And your horns create the perfect contrast with your fur- they are tough and striking whereas your fur is soft and inviting…"

Sam trailed off as she began to stroke his arm, once again tracing the patterns of his stripes with her index finger. Danny gazed into her amethyst eyes and smiled at all the compliments he was receiving. She suddenly leaned towards him and stroked his nose once with her finger.

"Plus, you purr like a sweet little kitten! How can anyone be scared of that?!"

That got him. Danny threw his head back and roared a laugh, which Sam could all but chuckle quietly at. Then, standing up, he grabbed Sam by her waist, like you would a toddler, and dangled her over the lake. She gasped sharply and immediately began to struggle against him.

"**NO**! Don't you **dare**!" she screamed and laughed at the same time while kicking her legs to get free.

Danny smiled as he watched Sam try to pull herself closer to him and away from the lake lurking below her. He prolonged her fear of being thrown into the water for a moment longer before he with drew her back and held her bridal style in his arms. He could feel her struggle to regain her breath after she managed to calm herself slightly.

"Oh my God, **thank** you!"

She sighed in relief until she noticed the glint of mischief in Danny's eyes. She raised an eyebrow then suddenly her breath caught in understanding.

"Don't even **think** about it!" she threatened, pointing an accusing finger at his face.

Grinning he jumped forward with Sam screaming in his arms and they both landed in the lake, water spraying around them in all directions and sparkling in the sunlight. They both quickly surfaced; Danny laughing uncontrollably and Sam gasping for air. The lake was, thankfully, shallow enough for them both to be able to touch the bottom with their feet, so Sam was in no danger of drowning! When she had caught her breath she glared at Danny as he smiled innocently at her, baring his teeth again with his face dripping wet and his tongue hanging out playfully. Suppressing a grin, she growled,

"Your **DEAD**!"

She dove at him with her hands outstretched to strangle him, but he grabbed her arms, gently yet firmly, and held her away from him, laughing as she thrashed in the water to reach him. She eventually began to relax under his grip and when her fake anger had finally subsided they began to laugh again as Danny patted the top of Sam's head; pushing more hair into her face. A sharp gasp echoed around them though neither of them opened them spoke.

"**Sam?**"

They both shot their heads up in the direction of the voice to find Tucker standing near the edge of the woods with scratches and guts over his arms and face, tears in his shirt and trousers, and his glasses askew on his head. He looked like he had just come out in a fight with Dash and lived to tell the tale! His gaze shifted from Sam to the hairy creature beside her. He did a double take, nearly falling backwards at the face-on view of his best friend.

"**DANNY?!**"

* * *

(So, let me know what you think! And thanks again to all of you who have reviewed so far. If any of you wish to view an image of Leon, just type this without any spaces

http : / dandorcha . deviantart . com / art / DP – Page - 1- 90553553

The link underneath it will bring up the image of Sam preparing to hit Danny with a branch!

P.S. I'm away on holiday so don't panic if I don't update for a while!)


	5. Chapter 5

Tucker stared at his two friends, wide-eyed and uncertain about his own safety. Danny glanced at Sam, who was also staring up at Tuck, and sighed quietly.

'_Well, it had been a nice moment between me and Sam,'_ he thought sadly to himself, before adding viciously, _'…thanks __**Tucker**__!'_

Danny quickly swam to the edge of the pool, Sam hitching a ride on his back, and jumped out. Turning, he offered a hand to Sam and pulled her gently out before they both approached Tucker. As soon as he saw Danny advance towards him, he very obviously flinched a couple of inches away.

"**Tucker**, it's Danny! He's not going to hurt you!" Sam scoffed rolling her eyes.

Tucker blink a few times, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks, "…I knew that! Its just…geez, your pretty intimidating dude!"

Danny groaned loudly and also rolled his eyes at him. Really, could he be more of a nerd…actually wait, don't answer that! Tucker hesitantly edged his way towards Danny sideways, taking in the full shape and size of 'Creature-Danny' and causing said halfa to fidget under his intense stare.

"So, how did he get like this?" asked Tucker as he poked Danny's fur covered arm, as if to test whether his coat was real or not.

Sam's face fell slightly, "I'm not sure, and I can't even ask him because he's speaking another language…"

Tucker continually poked Danny while Sam spoke, giving an occasional nod to prove he was listening, until Danny growled and slapped his hand away in annoyance. Tucker jumped away in surprise, yelping and cradling his hand to his chest.

"**Dude**! Watch those **claws**!" he shouted angrily as he inspected his hand for damage.

Sam 'tutted' loudly before glaring at her friend, "Tucker, don't be such a baby! They didn't touch you!"

"Yeh, but he could have **at least** retracted them!" he whined, kissing the top of his hand delicately.

Danny and Sam looked at each other in confusion, and slight revulsion at the scene, before turning back to Tucker who was now shaking his hand in the air, as if to cool it.

"He probably doesn't know how to, if they even retract," defended Sam with a raised eyebrow.

Tucker stared at her for a few seconds, as if she had grown an extra head… an extra blonde head that liked pink teddy bears and rainbows…

"**What do you mean?!"** he exclaimed with an exasperated face and his finger pointing at her in accusation, "He had them retracted when he was in the water with **you**!"

Sam and Danny blushed pure scarlet, which was very difficult for someone covered with fur but, somehow, Danny had managed it. To hide his unease, he lifted his paws to inspect his fingertips. Sure enough, he watched as his claws retracted back behind his fur. Interesting! So he **was** like a kitten in some ways!

Glancing at Sam, he noticed she was glaring at Tucker, which was becoming more and more intense by the minute. Oh boy, did this look familiar…if he knew Sam well, which he did, she would react to Tuckers embarrassing comment with a long string of retorts in an angry fit of rage, using any opportunity she had to hurt him physically, emotionally, and mentally if she could…

His eyelids drooped slightly_,_ '_Sigh, I love it when she's so __**passionate**__…'_

And, as if on cue-

"Well, maybe if you weren't **prodding** him with your **finger** he would have kept them retracted!" retorted Sam as she poked Tucker in the shoulder.

Tucker winced, holding his shoulder, before smirking at her, "Or **maybe** it's just the fact that I'm not **you**!" he implied while moving his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Sam stopped her attack in complete shock, her face falling into a look of disbelief, confusion and…curiosity?

'_Oh, here we go…'_ groaned Danny mentally; cursing Tucker for letting too much slip, _'Maybe inviting him here wasn't the best idea after all!'_

Sam was speechless, for the first time ever (wow, take a photo!), and Danny looked fiercely at Tucker who was grinning in satisfaction with his arms folded. He leaned towards Sam, as if taunting her, waiting for an oh-so-fierce come back that never came. He laughed once in glee and straightened up.

"Checkmate **Sammy**!" he said triumphantly.

Using Danny's pet name for Sam was the last straw- **no one** had that right, except **Danny**! Oh, he was going **down**!  
Danny snarled and jumped forward, knocking Tucker to the ground so his huge form was looming over him. He stared down at him darkly, his teeth fully bared and glistening in the sunlight.

"Look, Tucker! We're just friends! Friends! F.R.I.E.N.D.S! Get that through your thick head!"

Danny lowered his face in front of Tuckers, growling threateningly, and poked him in the head for effect. Tucker panicked at this after feeling the sharp claw dug into his forehead and began to try and scramble out from under him. However, his efforts were futile.

"OK, **OK**! I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to imply anything, I **swear**!" Tucker cried as he raised his hands in defense; sweat already dripping from his terrified face.

Danny glared at him and slowly moved away to allow him to get to his feet.

"…Ok, can we try and get Danny back to normal now?!" asked Sam impatiently, albeit more withdrawn than usual.

Tucker jumped to his feet and quickly dusted himself off while shooting Danny a wary look, "S-Sure, I'll see what I can find about 'ghostly transformations' in the Ghost Zone on my PDA."

Tucker proceeded to whip his PDA out of his pocket and began to type furiously at the keys. Danny, meanwhile, glanced timidly at Sam who was staring silently at the ground and rubbing her arms.

'_Ooook, she is definitely acting weird! Wait a minute…oh, ok, I'm an idiot!'_

It hadn't occurred to Danny, until just now, that Sam was only wearing a small, sleeveless belly top and that jumping into the water with no means to dry yourself was a bad idea. He wrapped an arm around her waist, hoping his fur would keep her warm, and grinned sheepishly in apology. She looked up at him and smiled in gratitude before her attention returned to the ground and the smile faded.

'_**Great**__, now Sam feels all awkward around me…I'm gonna kill Tucker!_' he thought sadly.

Tucker looked up from his PDA, quickly glanced at the two of them and raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Luckily Sam didn't notice, but Danny did. He frowned, silently baring his teeth at Tucker, who immediately went back to his searching for fear Danny would hurt him. A few moments later, Tucker smiled in triumph.

"I think I found something!" he said in a singsong voice.

Sam quickly made her way over to Tucker to inspect what he found while Danny stood where he was and watched them both. He missed Sam's warmth beside him and immediately, he blamed Tucker. It's not like he had found what he was looking for, probably just some African Voodoo myth thing…or so he thought.

Tucker pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose then spoke, "Apparently, there's like a cult in the ghost zone that lone ghosts can join and when you do, the leaders transform you into the animal that you see yourself as-"

Danny jerked up his head and ran to see what site Tucker was on. No way could he have gotten lucky enough to find it first time.

"Have they got a name?" asked Sam.

"Let me see…yeh, they call themselves…Cl…Clay-o-ch-la, oh forget it just look! Does that name ring a bell to you Danny?"

_'Claochladáin'_

Yes, that name; he recognized it. Leon had mentioned it the night before! Unbelievable- Tucker had actually found it!

"Do you recognize the name?" repeated Tucker when he didn't receive any form of reaction, other than a wide-eyed stare.

Danny nodded his head vigorously and pointed at his PDA.

"Tucker, what else does it say about them? Does it say how to switch people back into a human?" inquired Sam.

"It doesn't say anything about turning humans into animals…but…it says that if the ghosts are unhappy with their appearance they have to consult…'Leon'…must be the leader or something…"

**Leon**. Danny clenched his fists as a growl echoed from his throat angrily, his horns beginning to slowly sprout on his back. Suddenly, a wave of emotion hit him like a fierce wind. He had never felt this way before. It felt like someone had lit him on fire- all he felt was rage and heat; he could practically see the flames in his vision. He needed to kick the living daylights out of something, **anything**, just to get rid of this energy. It was overpowering him...

Leon…he needed to be punished…h-he…he needed to **die**…

* * *

Sorry it took so long for me to upload this chapter- I totally forgot about the story, believe it or not! Also, I know not a lot went on, except at the end, but it was kinda a 'Welcome into the story' introduction for Tucker! Sorry! Anyway, tell me what you thought.


	6. Chapter 6

_Leon…he needed to be punished…h-he…he needed to __**die**__…_

"You know Leon, don't you Danny?" Sam questioned softly while watching him in concern.

Danny nodded his head once in anger, and even **that** was a task in its self. Just the sound of his **name** made him want to break something in half. He had to find Leon and **kill** him! No, wait…D-Danny Phantom saves lives; he doesn't kill anyone…no…but **Creature** Danny might-

'Wait, what am I thinking?! I-I can't do that! I just…I-I need to relax…vent the rage…'

Sam and Tucker exchanged a nervous glance as they watched the many expressions of Danny's inner torment flow, disappear and reappear on his furry face. So caught up in his only inner battle, he didn't notice their stares, hell, he didn't even notice himself walking, well more like stalking, over to a nearby tree.

"Did he do this to you?" continued Sam, stepping after his retreating form.

Danny heard her, but he couldn't answer- he was **shaking** with anger. He needed to release his built-up energy, and he needed to do it soon. His anger caused his senses to explode, and every little sound, every little smell seemed like a monstrous danger. He could feel Sam and Tucker's presence, but his instincts were telling him to run, attack, defend- now! So, he raised his paw and punched the tree. The tree broke in half and pieces of bark flew everywhere. The severed log then fell to the ground with a mighty thud. Danny twisted his head and looked back at his friends, his teeth clenched and his breathing heavily. His friends were, for lack of a better word, terrified. Sam blinked once in shock and stared into his eyes. They flashed red for half a second before returning to their intense blue colour. She blinked again. Had she really seen them turn red? She continued to stare at him while he stared right back with such intensity it scared her slightly.

"D-Danny?" she stuttered, reaching out a tentative hand as if to touch him.

Shaking himself free of his trance, Danny slowly realizing what he had done, what he had so very nearly done to them, how close he had come to losing it, and he sighed shakily before walking back over to them. It was strange, he **had** felt that angry before, like during past ghost fights or when he had first met Leon, but it was never **that** strong; never once did he have the urge to kill… Whether his friends realized the seriousness of what just happened or not, they played dumb and Sam simply rubbed his arm.

"Take that as a 'yes' then!" muttered Tucker, at which Sam rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry Danny, we'll find him…" she assured in a gentle voice.

Danny nodded sadly and forced a smile. He quickly turned his head from them, closing his eyes and released a quivering breath.

'Oh man, what just happened-'

-**Rumble**-

Danny and Sam turned to Tucker with a startled look to find him gripping his stomach with one hand.

"Uh, sorry, I skipped breakfast to meet you guys!" he smiled timidly, rubbing his stomach to sooth his hunger.

However, this started a chain reaction, and Danny and Sam's stomach also began to rumble.

"I haven't had anything to eat since yesterday!" Sam admitted sheepishly.

Danny nodded in agreement- he hadn't eaten anything either. He'd been so caught up in surviving the past few hours he never once thought to fill his stomach.

"Do ya…wanna go to the Nasty Burger for something to eat?" suggested Tucker.

"I guess…but we're gonna have to disguise Danny so he doesn't draw any…unwanted attention."

Tucker snorted a laugh, "How are we gonna disguise him?! He won't exactly **fit** into any human clothes anymore now will he?!"

Sam glared at him for his tone of voice and slapped his shoulder.

"Fine then, how 'bout he waits here and we'll bring him something back?" she suggested with an agitated manner as Tucker winced and rubbed his shoulder.

Danny thought for a moment. It did seem like the most logical way…what was he kidding- it was the only way! Anyone who spotted him would surely inform the authorities and have him arrested. So he nodded in agreement. It was the safer option, not just for himself.

Sam smiled faintly, "Ok, we won't be long Danny. Just sit tight."

Tucker and Sam waved goodbye to Danny as they headed through the forest and out of sight. Danny watched them leave, and continued to stare at the spot where they disappeared between the trees and shrubs. Although he could no longer see them, he could hear them. It was strange, but also kinda…nice. He would never again feel alone with all the wonderful sounds of life around him. He listened as his sensitive ears picked up the rustling of the foliage under their feet, and enabled him to hear a question Tucker asked as they headed for their destination.

"Do you think he eats raw meat or cooked?"

-**Whack**-

"Ow! I was just wondering!"

Danny smiled and shook his head at his friend's low pain threshold. When they pasted his range of hearing, he walked back over to the lake and sat at the waters edge, his tail dipping in the water. A small fish came over to investigate the new object invading his home, but it went unnoticed by Danny; his mind was far too troubled to notice such trivial things.

'_How am I gonna find Leon? He could be __**anywhere**__ by now, and I'm sure he doesn't want to see __**me**__ of __**all**__ people!'_ he pondered to himself.

Danny sat by the edge of the lake for a few minutes, thinking up ways to find Leon and get switched back, but all of them were long shots. The little fish, once intrigued by his presence, had long since disappeared. Sighing, Danny scratched the back of his neck in frustration, before stopping short of the action. Lowering his paw, he looked down and noticed his claws were still protruding through his fingertips. He groaned.

'I only have to mention his name and my body reacts negatively to him! What happened to me back there? It felt like I was about to lose it; the need to kill something was unbearable. I-If I hadn't have gained control…who knows what I would have done to Tucker and Sam…What if I had hit one of them instead of the tree-'

His pupils contracted in horror at what he had just pictured in his mind- Sam and Tuckers dead bodies littering the ground, and him covered with their blood. Shaking his head, he quickly changed his train of thought to the only other thing he could think of, plucking a flower from the grass beside him and twirled it between his fingers.

'_I hope Sam wasn't freaked out by what Tucker said…he can make things so complicated between us sometimes…maybe I should tell her how I feel; get it out in the open…oh what's the point…she probably doesn't feel the same way…and even if she did…she wouldn't understand what I was saying anyway…_'

Danny sat in thought for over half an hour, before he began to realize the time.

'Sam and Tucker sure are taking their time…I hope they're alright…wait, what if Leon's got them?! He could be turning them into beasts right this minute!'

Danny was on his feet and heading in the direction Tucker and Sam went before he even registered his hind legs moving. He ran through the woods, gaining more scratches and cuts on his body. When he emerged from the trees, he saw the Nasty Burger situated down the street below the hill. On his hands and knees, he crawled down the hill, ducking behind bushes and trees to hide from the civilians below, not that it was crowded much; in fact, it looked quite deserted! But, as the saying goes, better safe than sorry. He made his way down the hill and carefully approached the Nasty Burger to find Tucker and Sam making their way out with bags of take-away food. Danny smiled and released a sigh of relief.

'_Thank God!'_

"Damn, those queues were long! I thought I was gonna die of starvation by the time we reached the cashier!" groaned Tucker, struggling to hold the overfilled bag in his hands.

Sam merely rolled her eyes, "You're so melodramatic Tuck!"

"Look whose talking Miss 'I'm-worried-about-our-friendship'!" he grinned playfully at her, nudging her in the arm with his elbow.

"Yeh yeh, whatever," she smirked wryly back, a small blush gracing her cheeks.

The conversation ended with that, leaving Danny very confused and agitated. What the hell were they talking about? Obviously, it was a well talked about subject since they both knew what the other was implying, but it caused a wave of jealousy to shoot through Danny. Since when did they keep secrets from each other? Although the two began to head up the grassy hill and towards the forest again, they, surprisingly, didn't spot Danny in his hiding place and were, instead, approached by none other than Dash Baxter.

"Hey **geeks**! What are you doing here?" he questioned.

Danny stepped closer to hide behind a nearby tree and listened warily to their conversation, frowning in concentration.

"It's a free country…and we're **not** geeks!" stated Tucker, still struggling his the take-away bags.

"Man, **Manson**, I know it's kind warm out but that's no reason to go jump in a river! –**Cue Sam's glare**- And where's Fen-**turd**? Did ya ditch him or something?!" Dash laughed

"We would **never** ditch Danny! We're on our way to meet him right now!" Sam informed him matter-of-factly with a growled, "Now if you'll kindly **move**!"

"Should have known you'd never ditch your **lovebird**!" sneered Dash, ignoring her earlier demand.

"**We're not lovebirds**!" she snarled.

"But you wish you were! **Right**?!"

Danny frowned in confusion.

Surprisingly, Sam's resolve didn't falter, a faint blush being the only indication that she had heard him, but it quickly faded back to her pale complexion, "Dash, I'm **warning** you-"

"**You're** warning **me**?! I could break you **in half** if I wanted to!" he threatened, raising a clenched fist in front of his face for emphasis.

"Then why don't you?! You afraid I'd fight back and kick your ass?!" Sam dropped the bags of food and stood challengingly in front of him, hands clenched by her sides.

It took all of Danny's will power not to run out and defend Sam right there and then; he actually had to dug his claws very deeply into the ground to hold himself back! He growled furiously under his breath and glared daggers at Dash.

But said boy, oblivious to the danger he was putting himself in, merely laughed, "**Please**! Don't make me laugh **Manson**! Believe it or not, I have a policy about hitting girls…oh wait, I guess that means I **can** hit you!"

Heat flowed through Danny again, and this time, he was unable to ignore it. His sudden urge, no, **need** to hurt Dash willed the fire to spread over his body and he was quickly overcome by his hatred of the teenage jock.

"THAT'S **IT**!" Danny bellowed, his eyes flashing red.

Dash barely had time to register the thundering roar from behind him before Danny had jumped forward, grabbed him by his throat and dangled him 7 feet in the air, while his legs flailing wildly beneath him.

"NEVER, **EVER**, SPEAK TO SAM LIKE THAT **AGAIN**, OR I **WILL** HURT YOU!"

Danny lifted his other paw up to Dash's face, his claws dangerously nearing his skin.

"I'm sorry…l-let me go…**please**!" he managed to choke out in fear, although he didn't understand the ghostly creature strangling him.

Danny narrowed his eyes at him, baring his teeth and releasing a throaty snarl. When he looked upon the fear on the blondes face, he could feel his resolution dimming, and he acknowledged that no human deserved to die, even one a low as this filth he held like a worm. So, he dropped him. Dash landed with a thud on the ground and looked up at Danny in shock.

"**Get out of here!**" Danny growled, looking forward instead of down at him.

He glared at Dash when he remained where he was, frozen with fear and still confused as to what he was growling. He leant forward and pointed his finger in the opposite direction before roaring,

"**NOW**!"

Dash shrank into the ground in terror and frantically began to scramble away. Danny continued to stare after him, part of him wanting to follow after him and show him the true meaning of pain, but his conscious won out and he stayed put. Sam and Tucker stood behind him; wide-eyed and mouths agape, the food completely forgotten. Tucker was the first to regain his composure and whistled low and quiet under his breath. Sam cautiously approached Danny until she was in his line of sight. His facial expressions were full of hate and anger, his eyes tinged red, but at the sight of her, it faded and converted to worry and sadness. She had such an effect on him, and she didn't even realise. Like a river of calm that flowed into him to sedate his anger like morphine would pain. He stepped closer to her, breathing in her aura, his eyes never leaving hers. Their noses were almost touching, but Sam felt no fear with his innocent blue eyes locked with hers.

"Are you ok?" he asked softly, his warm breath flowing over her face.

"…I'm fine…" she breathed.

Danny nodded, his gaze shifting to her arm, which he stroked with his furry thumb. Dash could be so cruel to her, and yet somehow she had learnt to suffer his taunts. She was so strong.

"Danny…don't you notice something?" she asked gently, also watching his paw move carefully, delicately over her arm.

"No…why? What's wrong?" he gave her a quick look over in case he missed her being injured during all the commotion. If she had gotten in his path of rage…

She cupped his face with her hands, forcing him to look back into her eyes, "Danny…I can understand you…"

* * *

(Sorry for not updating, school is a hassle and a half! Boy, are these getting longer or is it just me?! This must be the longest chapter so far! And it'll probably stay this way…though I will try to make them all as long as this… no really, I will try! Anyway, tell me what you think, and I do sincerely apologise for not updating for so long.)


	7. Chapter 7

My, my, my; it's been a while hasn't it?! I'm sorry for neglecting you, but school has been, and still is, **hectic!!!** And it'll only get worse for the next few months- tests and all coming, you know? Anyway, I won't keep you waiting any longer, here's the next installment. Enjoy!

* * *

Sam smiled, chuckling slightly as Danny stared down at her in shock.

"You…you can understand me? T-That's **great**!" smiled Danny.

Overcome with joy, he scooped Sam up into his furry arms and hugged her, twirling her around in the air as they both laughing happily. Sam gripped Danny as tightly as she could around his mane covered neck, overwhelmed with emotion at the sound of his all-to-familiar voice. He sounded exactly as he use to with only the slightest tonal change to his wolf-like vocal chords. Danny smiled into Sam's shoulder; her wonderful scent so strong and clear with their close proximity- it was intoxicating, and made it very hard for Danny to even consider letting her go. He purred in content, nuzzling the side of his head against her as he held her. However, when Tucker cleared his throat to reminding them of his presence, his head was cleared and they stopped their little scene immediately. Sam looked at the ground in sudden embarrassment while Danny threw Tucker a dirty look. Tucker immediately took a step in the other direction.

"Wow, I can't believe our luck!" commented Sam, her cheeks tinted pink slightly as she lifted her head to meet Danny's gaze and smile at him.

He immediately returned the smile before asking, "What do you think did it?"

Sam shrugged, "Maybe something triggered it?" she suggested.

"**Hel**_**lo**_?! Triggered what? How come you can suddenly have cosy little chats with him?!" exclaimed Tucker.

She levelled a glare at him, "I don't know, I just understood what he was saying," she blinked suddenly, "…wait…you can't understand him Tucker?"

Tucker shook his head at her as if she was stupid, "Uh…NO! He's still growling to me Sam, but I can understand what your saying- you're still speaking English at least."

Sam frowned in confusion, "That's so weird…"

"Tell me about it…" sighed Danny, still overwhelmingly happy that Sam was the one who could understand him. Don't get him wrong; Tucker was like a brother to him, but Sam…

"…Maybe it had something to do with your little 'emotional episode' back there!" joked Sam with a raised eyebrow, nudging him with her elbow lightly.

"Hey, it could have been," shrugged Danny with a wide toothy grin.

'_Ah yes, the pros of beating up Dash…' _he thought in satisfaction, looking to the sky as he reminisced.

"Well, I think we should go before we attract anymore unwanted attention," advised Sam as she looked around her.

"Good idea," agreed Tucker, bending down to grab the take away bags from the ground but having Danny snatch them away at the last second, sticking his tongue out at him childishly as he did so.

With the carried bag handles locked firmly between his clenched teeth, he crouched down to let Sam and Tucker on his back, sprouting a few horns carefully on his shoulders for 'handle bars'. Once they were securely on, Danny took off on all fours back into the forest and up the hill, with Tucker screaming all the way.

Long into the afternoon, after the two teens and one furry creature had eaten their share of food, Tucker had surprisingly managed to scoff more food into him than Danny! It was suggested soon after by Sam that herself and Tucker should take it in turns to be look out, in case some hikers or children were to come up the hill and discovered 'Creature Danny'. Tucker volunteered to go first since it would be pointless to try communicating with Danny seeing as he couldn't understand anything he was saying…and because he was still a little intimidated by his new form! Sam also 'half forced' him to go to lose some of the weight he gained during his meat-gorging rampage! He was also instructed to look up more information on his PDA about this 'Leon' character while he patrolled, so they could find him a fast as possible to fix Danny… so, all-in-all, Tucker had a lot of work to look forward to! After exchanging quick farewells, he left, tripping over a few branches on his way and earning him loud barks of laughter in his wake. Sam and Danny, meanwhile, lay down on the grass near the lake and watched as the clouds flew across the sky. Danny was the first to break the small peaceful silence that had grown between them, his eyes still concentrating on the billows of cloud and a faint smile on his face.

"I'm really glad you can understand me Sam. I was starting to get lonely!" he joked with a hidden truth behind his words.

"You're never alone Danny. Me and Tucker will always be here for you, even if we don't understand you sometimes!" reassured Sam with a smile, chuckling quietly at the double meaning of her own words.

Danny glanced at her, smiling back softly and looked ahead of him towards the sky once again. The clouds were beginning to form objects and pictures in the sky, as they tended to do when you stared at them for so long. For a moment, Danny felt like a normal teenager again- just watching the world go by with his best friend, not a care in the world…

Danny chuckled as he realised something, "Well, at least there's some good coming out of this whole thing…"

Sam looked at him in confusion, one eyebrow tilted upwards slightly.

"**I** have an excuse not to go to school!" he boasted with pride, poking a thumb into his chest.

Sam shook her head at the utter randomness of what he just said, before she smiled mockingly and played along, "Don't worry, I'll be sure to collect your homework from all of your teachers for you!"

Danny turned to her with a look of shock and slight betrayal, his mouth hanging open.

"You wouldn't…" he dared, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I would!" she said smugly, sitting up and folding her arms.

Danny followed suit, a mischievous glint in his eye, as he began to growl at her.

"We can't have that," he said darkly.

Sam raised her eyebrows at him. She could feel her heart jump slightly at the sight of him; his teeth displayed, eyes dark and hidden behind a mane of hair, but she suppressed her nervousness from showing.

"I'm sorry, was that supposed to be scary?!" she asked dully, her voice never wavering.

Danny frowned, jumped to his feet and grabbed her, pinning her to the ground in one lightening fast action, holding her shoulders down with his paws. He glared at her when she, although surprised, didn't make a visible reaction. She was, however, incredibly nervous on the inside; her heart rate continuing to rapidly increase, though she did well not to let it show on her facial features.

"Well, we're gonna have to fix that…" he threatened with a husky voice.

He leaned down so his face was close to hers and he growled louder, baring his teeth and inching dangerously close to her neck. Of course, he would never dream of hurting her, but he wanted a reaction and, right now, he just wasn't getting one. Sam, on the other hand, had to remember to breathe at his close proximity with his extremely sharp teeth dangerously close to her. She blinked, suddenly wanting to slap herself at her stupidity, forgetting her fears as she realised something she always knew- _'Danny's my friend- he would never hurt me.'_ He was mere millimetres from her exposed skin when -

"Drool on me, and you're dead."

He pulled away, frowning at her and pouted- or made an attempt to pout at least!

"Sam-**my**, you're supposed to be **scared**!" he complained.

"It's kinda hard to be scared of an overgrown **kitten** that also happens to be my best friend!" she grinned.

Danny felt a wave of self-pity and self-hatred instantly wash over him, hatred being the stronger of the two emotions. His expression noticeably dropped as he got off her and turned his gazed to the lake, studying his reflection carefully with abruptly cheerless eyes.

"Not everyone would see me as an overgrown kitten…" he muttered sadly.

Sam sighed as she realised what had upset him. He saw himself as a monster, a freak of nature, worse so than his old ghostly form, and it troubled her that he thought so little of himself.

"Danny…I know it sounds cheesy, but the old saying, 'it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside; it's what's on the inside that counts' is true. I think you should know by now that looks aren't everything!"

Danny turned to glance at her, his ears drooping back against his head in a pitiful fashion. Getting to her knees, she sat facing him as she continued to explain.

"I mean…Paulina- I'll admit, she is the…prettiest girl in the school, but she certainly isn't the nicest person to meet. By the way, you tell anyone I just said that and I **will** kill you -_insert Danny's snort_- …and Tucker; he's a nice guy…granted, once you get past all the technology, but he's labelled as a nerd! -_Danny chuckles_- Don't tell him I said that either, he'd kill **me**! But people are put off getting to know the real Tucker because there's too much based of the way he looks…"

Danny rolled his eyes in a playful manner, "Well, we can't all be as lucky as you Sam!"

"What're you talking about?" asked Sam, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"Oh come on, you're beautiful **and** you have a great personality!" he explained gently with a small smile.

Surprisingly, a blush came to Sam's cheeks.

'_Did he mean that?' _she thought to herself,_ 'Wait…is it the animal instinct blurting this out or did he just become more confident in the last couple of hours?!'_

Regaining her composer, she smiled slyly at him. She could see she was beginning to pull him out of his depression.

"How do you not know my personality is all just an act and I'm really just an anti-social Goth freak?!" she questioned, folding her arms.

"Because I've known you since kinder garden!" he said matter-of-factly.

"I could have been faking it…" she shrugged, looking away indifferently.

Danny blinked before smirking, "You're a good person, I could tell from the start."

Sam snorted, now having complete control of the situation.

"Shows how much you know! No wonder you're a C student!" she joked, creating a 'C' shape with her fingers and holding it to her head.

"That's it!" Danny growled before pinning her to the ground once more and gently poking her ticklish sides with clawless fingertips.

Sam screamed in surprise, much to the satisfaction of Danny, as she tried, but failed, to push his paws away.

"No! **NO**! **Stop**! P-please!" she gasped through laughter.

"Only if you admit I'm right and you're wro-ong!" he sang.

Sam nodded her head, still erupting with laughter.

"…And that I deserve to be an A student!" he added as an afterthought.

"Ok, **OK**! You're right! The 'A student' is **right**!" she yelled.

Giving his familiar, but slightly distorted, lopsided grin, he stopped tickling her and sat beside her, allowing her to catch her breath. Surprisingly, Tucker then jumped out from the trees; breathing heavily, his clothes covered with broken twigs and his face covered with yet more scratches.

"Is everything alright? I heard a scream?" panted Tucker in confusion.

The two grinned, exchanging a guilty glance, before a small gust blew around the clearing. Frowning in confusion, Danny got to his feet, pulling Sam up with him.

'Funny, this area should be totally shielded from the wind by all the trees…' thought Danny in suspicion.

Surprised, the three friends looked at each other and the leaves blowing around them as the draught picked up into a fierce wind. Sam's hair wiped about her face as she looked around for the source of the wind while Tucker gripped on to his hat in case it should blow away. Danny, hearing something strange beyond the noise of the wind, looked up to the sky. Suddenly, two black helicopters appeared in the sky; hovering above the clearing the three friends were situated in. They all gasped as they saw Jack and Maddie in one of the helicopters, each holding what looked like a ghost rifle. Danny's eyes widened in fear as his mind finally registered what was happening- they were coming for him. He grabbed Sam's arm to get her attention, and she turned to him with anxious eyes. He stared for a moment, and time seemed to slow- her hair was gently floating in an unfelt breeze, the leaves had slowed around them, and sound seemed to become non-existent. All he could see was her, and lost in the amethyst ocean that was her eyes, it took him to blink a few times before he snapped out of his daze- that's when the world came back to life and everything happened at once.

"SAM, GET TUCKER AND **RUN**- THEY'VE COME FOR **ME**!" he shouted over the noise of the helicopters.

"RELEASE THE GIRL, **MONSTER**!" ordered Maddie as she raised the rifle at Danny, pulling back the bolt to load the weapon.

"GO **NOW**!" Danny urged to Sam, pushing her in the right direction, but she jumped back to him and grabbed the fur of his arms.

Tucker stared up at the Fenton's, his arms covering his face slightly due to the winds intensity, and watched as Maddie took aim with Jack loading his own gun behind her.

"UH…GUYS?!" Tucker called in worry, never taking his eyes off the helicopter and their passengers.

"I SAID **RELEASE HER**!" shouted Maddie as Jack followed suit and raised his own rifle.

"I'M NOT LEAVING YOU!" Sam yelled to Danny in desperation.

"**SAMANTHA**!" bellowed Maddie from above.

"Sam," Danny murmured to low for anyone to hear. He stared at Sam with sad eyes, her loyalty to him pulling at his heartstrings.

Maddie, frustrated at being ignored, turned to Jack.

"Open fire, but be careful not to hit Sam," she instructed as Jack nodded.

Danny looked up and gasped as he noticed them taking aim.

"**SAM**, LOOK OUT!"

Danny grabbed Sam close to him and turned his back on the helicopter, protecting her from the sudden gunshots. Danny roared in pain as he was shot in the back and arm. Sam looked up at his arm and gently removed the object that had penetrated the skin, noticing it was a tranquilliser. She looked up at Danny in horror as his grip on her weakened and his eyes began to close.

"Sam," he slurred as he pushed her away, afraid of collapsing on her.

"I'm here Danny. Please, try to keep awake." She urged as he fell to his knees.

He tried, he tried to stay awake for her, but it was too much. He took in a deep breath and murmured to her before falling under the sedation,

"Don't let them take me…"

* * *

Sooooo...review? Please?


	8. Chapter 8

"Mrs Fenton, **please**, this creature is not going to hurt anyone!" Sam tried to assure Maddie as they both approached the Fenton Works basement.

A while had passed since the tranquilliser incident and the Fenton's had taken Danny to their lab to be tested on, much to Tucker and Sam's horrified objection. They had been spending the good of their time pleading with Maddie and Jack to let him go or, at least, to let them see him. But at the moment Danny's mum was on the phone with Jazz, who was away at a hospital two towns over for work experience, and nothing irritated Maddie more than having to respond to two conversations at the same time.

"Please, Sam, I'm on the phone!" she scolded softly, her patience wearing thin, before turning back to her caller, "Yes…that's wonderful dear…Ok, and I expect to see your certificate soon…alright Jazz, love you, bye."

She hung up the phone quickly, and turned to face the two teenagers who had been bugging her ever since she got home. She clenched her eyes closed and pinched the bridge of her nose, readying herself for her speech, but Sam interrupted her before she could even begin.

"Jazz won a certificate?" asked Sam quickly to diffuse Maddie's growing anger.

It worked, and she sighed softly, removing her hand covering her eyes to place on her hip before smiling at the two friends.

"Yes, she's been working very hard at the hospital, and they thought it only right that she should be given a reward for her hard work…"

'_Now the difficult part,' _thought Maddie as she took in a calming breath.

"Now, Sam, back to the matter at hand…I know how much you hate to see animals in pain, but this… 'Creature', as you call it, put you and Tucker's life in danger-"

"He didn't put me in danger!" Sam retorted before muttering, "he was trying to protect me from your tranquillisers!"

"**Samantha**, I will not have you speak to me like that in my own house!" said Maddie in shock at Sam's outburst, "Besides, we're not going to kill it!"

"Y-You're not?" asked Tucker, who had, until this point, stood quietly by Sam's side in a state of shock at all that had happened in such a short space of time.

"No…we're just going to run a few tests, take some blood samples; try and figure out what it is and where it came from."

"Ok…just…don't hurt him please…" pleaded Sam quietly in defeat.

"We'll try not to," Maddie smiled kindly, placing a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder, before worry crossed her face, "You haven't heard any word from Danny yet have you?"

Sam and Tucker sneaked at a glance at each other, fear flashing for a second in their eyes, before reassuring Maddie that he would 'probably be out a while longer'. They had told her that he had gone off to a sleepover at Valerie's house last night with some of the 'popular' crowd and that he would stay over for a trip to the mall the next day. Unfortunately, Sam and Tucker hadn't received an invite because they were too 'un-cool', and Danny thought it 'rude to ignore the _honour_ bestowed on him'. Although Maddie had watched the look they had given each other with suspicion, she smiled and nodded her head in understanding. After all, it was like Danny to be a bit selfish now and again- he got it from his father.

"You can come down now if you want, it's in containment," Maddie continued.

"Containment?" questioned Sam.

Sam and Tucker had seen many of the Fenton's versions of 'containment'- cramped, demeaning excuses of a cage used to trap and experiment on ghosts to ensure escape was not an option for said captive. Sam only hoped none of these would be used to hold Danny.

Nodding their head to Maddie's offer, they followed her down the stairs and into the basement. Immediately, they spotted terrifying looking equipment lined along the table nearest the staircase; long, metallic objects equipped with knives and needles. Along the other wall, Jack was busying himself at the computer, typing furiously at the keys and adding newly discovered information about the specimen. Once fully down the stairs, they saw a large tank-like chamber that just about held Danny comfortably in. His eyes were closed and, despite the situation, his facial expressions were very relaxed- probably due to his sleeping state. His furry chest would rise and fall lightly as he breathed, fogging up the glass in front of his face before it fading into nothingness and returned again.

Sam gasped and ran up to him, leaning close to the glass panel and placing a hand over it. He looked so peaceful, his head tilted as if he was gazing at her with closed eyes, but Sam's eyes glazed over with tears none-the-less as she stroked the glass, longing to stroke his fur. Tucker watched at her sadly, before deciding it was best to give her some time alone with him first, and approached Jack and Maddie to find out what they had discovered. He glanced at the screen before eying the equipment beside him.

"You use these to do **blood tests**?!" asked Tucker in a high pitch voice, staring at Maddie and Jack while pointing to the intimidating weapons.

Of course, this earned him a chuckle from Jack and a hasty glare from Maddie, to which he grinned sheepishly to avoid confrontation.

Sam, oblivious to all around her, whispered softly, "Danny?"

He didn't stir- his breath coming and going in gentle wafts. Sam frowned slightly in worry.

'_Trust him to get tranquillised so many times!'_ she thought sarcastically.

"Figures," she muttered sadly.

Suddenly, she noticed his breathing change faintly and his ear twitch. Her heart did a back flip as her hopes rose. She placed both of her hands against the glass in earnest.

"Danny?" she whispered a little louder.

Only Tucker heard, and he looked over Jack and Maddie's back to see Danny's eyes slowly opening to the sound of Sam's voice. Tuckers' eyes widened with fear and he quickly thought on his feet.

"Uuuuh…H-HEY! Did anyone hear that? I thought I heard a _ghost_-"

Tucker didn't even get the chance to finish before Jack was on his feet with a gun in his hand, the chair lying idly on the floor with the force of his rising and his fudge tossed carelessly to one side.

"GHOST?! _WHERE_?!" he bellowed.

"I heard a noise upstairs, it could be outside," urged Tucker as grabbed his own gun.

"Right, come on Jack!" ordered Maddie as the two ran up the stairs, Tucker following closely behind them. Sam nodded to him in gratitude as he nodded back in acknowledgement before she turned her attention back to Danny.

"Sam…" he slurred, still under sedative while shaking his head slowly as if trying to find her.

"Shh, Danny, it's ok. Everything's going to be ok, I'm here now…" she reassured, tears threatening to spill.

She doubted her presence was that important to comfort him and cursed herself for being so cliché and saying it out loud. She only wished that she could do more for him, but she couldn't…_not yet_…

His eyes opened a little wider, now becoming only half closed, as he looked down at her. His breath had grown more hoarse and continued to condense and evaporate off the glass.

"You're crying…you never cry…" he breathed, slow and deep.

Sam choked a laugh as a tear fell from her eye. She hastily rubbed the back over hand over her eyes to destroy the evidence.

"Well, this is a special occasion…" she smiled, making an effort to regain her composure.

He sighed as a form of laughter and closed his eyes again.

"How long have I been out?" he asked, trying to find his voice.

"An hour I think…maybe more…" she said quietly.

The two heard an occasional banging and shouts of 'GHOST!' coming from upstairs. They looked up to face the ceiling as a loud crashing sound was heard and Tuckers' voice shouting, 'HE WENT OUT THE WINDOW!' Sam laughed softly and Danny smiled.

"He must have set the Box Ghost free!" she smiled.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" groaned Danny as he thought of how long it would take to capture him again.

The front door slammed from above them and they faintly heard the park being mentioned in the chaos.

Sam laughed, "Definitely a good thing!"

Danny chuckled, which turned into a small, slurred, coughing fit. Sam immediately became serious.

"Danny, how are we going to find Leon? He's probably long gone from Amity by now, and with the state you're in we can't exactly go searching for him!"

"No…we'll have to lure him to me…my life's the one he wants to ruin…I think…" he frowned as he tried to concentrate.

"But Danny…if he comes to fight you, you won't be able to defend yourself. You'd be a sitting duck!"

His eyebrows twitched drowsily into a lazy frown, "I know…but how else are we going to get him to show his face?"

Sam looked away, uncertain. Another tear silently escaped her eye as she attempted to hide it from Danny, but his keen eyes saw it even in his drowsy state.

"Hey…" Danny said softly to draw her attention back to him, "Don't worry…I've always pulled through before, haven't I?"

Sam shook her head in frustration, "But this is _different_ Danny…"

They stared at each other for a while before Sam sighed.

"Look…as soon as we find anything about Leon, we'll go after him, all right? For now, I think you should just sit tight; me and Tucker are going to come back tonight and free you, then you can hide out at my place…"

Danny smiled dreamily and turned to face the ceiling, the sedation beginning to take affect again.

"Sounds like a plan…"

"_Danny_," she said more urgently than she meant to.

He turned his head to gaze at her.

"…Don't give them _any_ reason to hurt you…" she pleaded softly.

He sighed again in content and drearily nodded- it was her way of telling him to be careful.

"See you tonight," was the last thing he heard from her before passing out again.

Not long after, Tucker and the Fentons came back down into the basement- smiles on Jack and Maddie's face and a look of worried concern on Tuckers. Jack slammed a Fenton Thermos on the table, posing to Sam in triumph before going back to the computer with his wife. Tucker walked up to Sam.

"So, is he ok?" he whispered.

"Yeh, he's fine," assured Sam, "He fell asleep again before you came."

Tucker looked a little disappointed for a second, but smiled at Sam at the good news. Sam smirked and approached Maddie.

"Mrs Fenton, would it be alright if Danny stayed the night at my place- we're having a sleepover…uh…again?"

Maddie narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "…I suppose…just be sure to tell him to come home for clean clothes-"

"That's alright Mrs Fenton, he left a few of his extra clothes in my house the last time he was there," interjected Tucker.

Maddie turned her heavy gaze on Tucker, "Well…alright- and tell him to behave himself."

Sam blushed at the knowing look Maddie gave her and opened her mouth to retort but Tucker pulled her away before she could object. Maddie glanced and Jack who was already watching her and shaking his head with an impressed grin. Maddie simply raised an eyebrow in an 'I-don't-know-what-your-trying-to-imply' look and chuckled softly.

Once outside, Tucker turned to Sam.

"So what's the plan on getting Danny out of there?" he questioned.

"We're gonna break in…tonight!" she smirked as she walked past him towards her house.

Tucker stared after her, his mouth agape.

"**Break in?!**" he exclaimed in shock

"That's right!" called Sam in an amused voice.

"B-But…I'm too young to be a criminal! SAM!" Tucker whined as he began to follow her with a run.

* * *

**Danny: **Please review readers, or I'll be stuck like this forever!

**Sam: **I don't know, I think it's kinda sexy…

**Danny:** …Purr! ^^


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